Love is Strong, Heart is Weak
by Charon the Sabercat
Summary: There's an accident, 2T almost dies, and Angela learns a lesson. Read and Review, please. Summary slightly misleading.


Love is Strong, Heart is Weak  
  
This summary is slightly misleading, you must read the story to find out what exactly happens! The kids never knew how much 2-T was risking to keep Earth safe. That is, until his "little secret" came back to attack him. And no, it is not a secret love or long lost family member, I don't do stuff like that. Written because I love 2-T 'cause 2-T is most like me according to my personality quiz (which was removed, feh) and he's smart and he's my favorite Martian! Um... okay, starting on a note that's way too happy. This thing is meant to make you kinda sad. Let's go.  
  
A yellow dot soared above his head. B-Bop laughed evilly and shot at it with his gauntlet. "Ha ha! Take that, human scum!"  
  
Angela laughed at the ridiculous line and triggered the holographic explosion. It was time, once again, for one of the Martians famous phony progress reports, and as always the kids were happy to help. Lilly was absent today (said she had to visit her grandmother for Grandparents Day, no one objected), leaving the lower beings a day to act like themselves without her ever-judging higher eye. Mike triggered a fire lighting on the blue-screen behind the Martians; Angela saw that it spelled out "Bog is a nimrod" in French and laughed.  
  
Do-Wah stood beside Cedric, who was trying to give B-Bop and 2-T acting tips. "So, how'd'ya like my Nerf ball setup?"  
  
Cedric looked to the precariously balanced mesh of pipes, chairs, and a heavy Nerf gun. Cedric met eyes with the Martian, who flinched upon seeing his reflective eyes. "Uh... cool?"  
  
Happy that he was met with approval, Do-Wah ignored Cedric's eyes and bounced happily on his toes."Yeah! I set it up all by myself! 2-T didn't need to help at all!"  
  
Speaking of 2-T, the blue Martian set his eyes upon the Nerf rig, ready to take his shot at the foam balls. The gun behind to whir, gearing up for its shot. But he noticed something; one of the pipes was bending uneasily, looking almost like a rubber band about to snap. He did some quick calculations in his head, and realized-  
  
BOOM! The gun fired, lurching backwards!  
  
PANG! The pipe suddenly snapped loose from the rig!  
  
IT WAS GONNA HIT B-BOP!  
  
"MOVE!" 2-T leapt sideways and shoved B-Bop out of the way! Good for B-Bop, bad for 2-T, because instead the heavy pipe hit him square in the center of his chest!  
  
He was punched backwards, landing sharply on his spine. He clutched the area where the pipe had hit, his heart pounding underneath his uniform-  
  
And everything began to get foggy and black...  
  
There was a loud crashing noise, but in his ears it sounded far away. A sharp pain raced across his chest and into his arm.  
  
"2-T?"  
  
B-Bop was calling his name, and it too sounded distant. 2-T's breathing became rapid as a bunch of voices swam around in his head.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
Angela's voice stood out amongst the clamour. He felt two Martian hands grab onto his shoulder. This was it... the final one, he was finished...  
  
ZAP!  
  
Dog's medi-beam hit 2-T fast and hard; he coughed violently and shot up onto his feet, holding one hand over his mouth and the other over his heart. Two hands were still holding tightly onto either shoulder. It was B- Bop, who had held onto him tightly since the whole ordeal started (a big deal, since medi-beams can be very painful when they touch a healthy person). 2-T kept his eyes on the ground, ignoring the barrage of questions coming at him.  
  
Do-Wah began to shush the worried teens. "Bog's calling! Quick, get out of camera! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"  
  
B-Bop led him away, leaving Do-Wah alone on-screen with an angry Emperor Bog.  
  
"Corporal Do-Wah-Diddy! What is going on down there?!"  
  
Do-Wah swallowed and began to fidget. "Um, uh, um, 2-T! We had to uh, cancel the mission! 2-T got hit with something, uh, in the chest, and uh, it uh, gave him a heart attack!"  
  
Dr. Damage came onto screen. He sighed as if annoyed. "Again?"  
  
Do-Wah nodded nervously, wishing desperately that someone was there to back him up.  
  
Damage pulled out a pocket organizer and turned it on with a quiet beep. "Alright, what triggered it?"  
  
"He got hit by a pipe."  
  
"A pipe?"  
  
Do-Wah gulped, trying to think of what would send a pipe flying at a dangerous speed into 2-T's chest. "Um, um, a building ex-e-exploded and um- "  
  
"That's enough, Corporal." Damage pressed a few buttons. "Which heart was affected? Right or left?"  
  
Do-Wah tilted sideways, looking at a resting 2-T from a ways away. 2-T saw him, sighed, and held up three fingers.  
  
"His third one." Do-Wah thumped the center of his chest to symbolize. "You know, 2-T's got that extra one because-"  
  
"I am Well aware of Lieutenant 2-T-Fru-T's medical record, Corporal. NO need to remind me." Damage pressed a few more buttons. Bog, who had been sitting in his throne bored for most of the conversation, waved his hand carelessly. Damage knew this well as the wrap-up signal. "That would be the third time this year that Lieutenant 2-T has had a heart attack. Two more and we're bringing him back to the Bog Star permenantly, understand?"  
  
Do-Wah gulped and said the two most despised words in his vocabulary. "Yes, sir."  
  
"Good. Damage-"  
  
"And Bog!"  
  
"BOG and Damage out."  
  
Do-Wah breathed a breathe of relief and switched off the monitor.  
  
Meanwhile, 2-T was trying to weather the teens asking questions about his attack.  
  
"You had a heart attack?"  
  
Angela jabbed Cedric in the ribs. "'Had' isn't the important part! You've Been having them?"  
  
"Why didn't you tell us?" Mike pleaded.  
  
B-Bop gave his best friend's shoulder a friendly shake. "I'll keep 'em busy. You go rest in the back."  
  
2-T blushed slightly, nodded, and left.  
  
&&&  
  
Angela knocked on 2-T's door softly out of fear that she would scare him and give him another heart attack. "2-T?" No response. "Are you in there?" She gulped and opened the door.  
  
The room was dark, but not too much so to see. It was a medium-sized room, the place where the broken games were stored back when Zapz arcade was actually an arcade. Right now, all it housed was a tiny refridgerator, a sofa, and a 2-T. Angela shut the door behind her and reached out with her good arm to turn on a light.  
  
"No."  
  
Angie jumped, jerking her arm back to her side. That wasn't- no, wait, it was 2-T's voice.  
  
"Don't turn the lights on, it hurts my eyes."  
  
Angela stroked her tensing throat. "2-T, are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
The hefty female found herself getting angry. "2-T, you've been avoiding all of us ever since you- um..."  
  
2-T sighed. "You can say it, Ange."  
  
"You had a heart attack!" she exclaimed, changing the context of her remark. "We're all worried about you! The least you could do is give us some consultation, some nice words that'll make us feel better!"  
  
Nothing from 2-T. Angela huffed and slammed her other arm into her sling, crossing her arms out of frustration. 2-T sighed once again and began to recite. "O Fortuna, velut luna statu variabilis, semper cresis-"  
  
"That's Latin, right?"  
  
2-T got up from the sofa and approached Angela. "That's Fortuna, Imperitix Mundi from Carmina Burana."  
  
2-T kept walking and talking until he was standing directly in front of Angela. "Don't go looking up Carmina Burana, that's PG13 stuff that I don't want you reading until your next birthday when you're fourteen, you understand?" He pointed at her face as he spoke like a father scolding his child, although the illusion was somewhat ruined by Angela's standing higher than him. She, however, felt his imposing presence upon her spirit; she nodded.  
  
2-T continued, lowering his hand. "Anyway, Fortuna, Imperitix Mundi is basically some guy talking about how Fortune's a cruel dictator than can make your life better or worse on a whim. It's appropriate. My life's just been made a whole lot harder."  
  
"Why?"  
  
2-T locked eyes with Angela and began to explain. "You heard what went on this morning. I've got three hearts, which is weird to you because humans have one and weird to Martians because Martians have two. Normally." He turned away, sorrow and recollection etching his slim features. "I was born with this third one, and it's weak. I've been having attacks like this since I was really young."  
  
"Then why are you in the military? Why are you putting yourself in danger?" Angela usually wasn't the one to ask smart questions; nothing insulting, she just always left that task to Cedric. But she was close friends with Mike's father, who had been a pilot in a war long past, and he had told her of the health requirements to be in the army. And the army definitely tried to avoid people who were prone to heart attacks. "Why are you on Earth at all?"  
  
"I've asked myself that same question a bunch of times, babe." 2-T rubbed his arm, obviously uncomfortable talking about this so directly to another person. "A lot of times, I've wanted to just give up, but being part of something, even if it is the Martian Fleet" (He says this with a spiteful tone) "it gives me a purpose in life. And if I can't feel like I'm doing something, like I'm a part of something, then I get depressed, and..."  
  
2-T stopped, taking a few seconds to catch his breath. Angela kneeled down so that she could be at eye level with her Martian friend. This backfired a bit, and she sunk down to about where 2-T was on her, but she didn't really care at that point.  
  
2-T met her eyes again and gave her a sad smile. "But... you know, just... being in the Martian fleet was enough to keep me from offing myself, but it was when I came to Earth that I realized that... well... um..." He took Angela's hand in his and gave it a soft squeeze. "Let me put it a different way."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"When I learned about Earth, I was amazed by how carefree you humans were. You didn't have the kind of responsibilities I did growing up. It confused me. And I realized that if I had grown up in this kind of place, I probably wouldn't have had so many attacks, and it... oh..."  
  
He winced in frustration and squeezed Angela's hand even tighter. His other fist was clenched tightly too.  
  
"It's hard to put stuff like this into words, isn't it?" suggested Angie, returning 2-T's handclasp with a gentle nudge of her thumb.  
  
"Do you mind if I skip right to the point?"  
  
Angela was anxious to know what "the point" was, so she nodded. 2-T took her hand and clutched it in both of his, holding it dearly to his chest.  
  
"I've realized now that there's only one thing I want to do in life now. And that's to make sure, Angela, that you and nobody else like you grows up the way I did."  
  
2-T took one of his hands and cradled Angela's face; it was a smooth feeling against his skin which he enjoyed. She signaled that she was enjoying the friendly caress by pressing her cheek into his palm. He continued.  
  
"You live a wonderful life. You don't have to worry about things that could put your life in danger. I do. Every single day. And it's taken a toll on me. I don't care what it takes, even if it's my life, I'm prepared to do anything to make sure..."  
  
He wrapped his finger around her chin and pointed her eyes to his; he was on the verge on crying, which made Angela's eyes burn with withheld tears. She took a breath, held it, and swallowed it, hoping that it would keep her from crying.  
  
"... that you stay the beautiful person that I'm looking at right now."  
  
At this she was taken aback. She jerked backwards in shock, regretting it almost immediately afterwards. The hand 2-T wasn't using to hold her face shot out almost on instinct and caught her before she fell, softly, almost indetectably, pulling her back towards him.  
  
"I love you. I love all of you kids, and until now... I've been afraid to say it, because I knew that if I had THE attack, you would've lost someone important to you. But you guys saw me out there... And now you know what could happen, and you know how to deal with it, right?"  
  
Angela wasn't expecting to be pulled into the little lecture. She went to speak, but she felt her throat knotting up, so she nodded yes.  
  
"Right. The love for you guys is strong, it's just the heart it's in is weak." 2-T took a steading breathe. "I want all of you to know that if it meant that you kids would live in peace for the rest of your lives, I would gladly give up my life to make sure of it. Don't worry about me, that's one of the reasons I never told you about my heart in the first place, okay? That's not what you're here for. It's My job to worry about You, understand?"  
  
Angie nodded again. 2-T went back to cradling her face, giving her temples a gentle rub. "That's my Angie. Do you think you think you could go back to being normal ol' Angela again?"  
  
Angela nodded, taking a moment to wipe away a tear. As her eyes were closed, she heard 2-T trying to comfort her. "Hey- oh, come on, babe. Don't cry. I can't stand to see women cry, okay? It's make's me-"  
  
And he choked. She heard him, but she couldn't believe it! She heard him sobbing!  
  
As she opened her fogged eyes, 2-T laid his head on her shoulder and embraced her in a one-armed hug, letting his tears run onto her shoulder. She returned the half-hug and rubbed her tears off on his uniform, still trying to hold back as much of the tears as she could.  
  
They sat like this for a while, each one crying on the other, until they were both breathing steadily again. 2-T drew away, looking Angela in the eyes one more time.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
He took one finger and pushed her face sideways and kissed her on the cheek. "I needed to get that off my chest."  
  
&&&  
  
"Where's B-Bop?" asked a refreshed 2-T. Mike jerked his head towards the main sofa in the main room.  
  
"He's over there."  
  
"Thanks." 2-T began to walk to his friend, but Mike stopped him quickly.  
  
"He's been a little upset lately. I think he thinks that it's his fault that you-know-what happened, you know, because you-"  
  
"I pushed him out of the way of the pipe, I should've guessed." 2-T rubbed his eyes in a frustrated manner. "He tends to brood over stuff like this. I'll go talk to him."  
  
2-T sat beside B-Bop, who seemed to be in a sort of trance on the sofa. It took the commander a few moments to realize who was sitting beside him, but when he did, he immediately snapped to attention. "Woah! 2-T, I am really sorry, I just-"  
  
"B-Bop, B-Bop, please!" 2-T held his hand in front of B-Bop's face to make him shut up. "It wasn't your fault! I've taken worse hits and come out fine, that one was just a weird... stroke of chance that happened to hit the right spot the wrong time."  
  
"So... you're not-?"  
  
"I'm not mad at you or anybody else."  
  
B-Bop wiped the sweat of his forehead. "Whew... we're still buds, right?"  
  
2-T held up his hand. "Still buds."  
  
B-Bop snatched/five-highed 2-T's hand and shook it with gusto. "Alright!"  
  
DONE! Notes, notes, notes? Yes! Yes! No! Just kidding! Yes!  
  
Carmina Burana is rated PG14 by ME. NO READING IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 13 YEARS OLD. I am older than 13, I can read it. In fact, I had to read it for a class at school a while ago, but that's beside the point!  
  
"The heart is weak, the love is strong" line is based off a line from a movie from India that I saw, said by a guy with a weak heart. He had a heart attack in the movie, which was sort of the basis for this story.  
  
This is NOT romance! This is a tender-moment fic which I am very fond of writing lately! It just happens to be centered mostly on 2-T and Angela for most of the fic because they are two of my favorite voice talents, Rob Paulsen (the man with a thousand voices) and Kath Soucie (the voice-all that never changes).  
  
And that's all I can think of. I'M TIRED, I NEED TO GO TO BED! 


End file.
